Jimmy Kimmel plays Darth Vader theme over Trump inauguration

Jimmy Kimmel pledged on Friday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! to spend the next four years satirizing President Donald Trump, and he wasted no time in keeping that promise. Over footage of Trump’s swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Kimmel played Darth Vader’s theme, “Imperial March.”

“He’s going to build a big, beautiful Death Star, and Tatooine is going to pay for it. Mark my words,” Kimmel joked.

During the opening of his late-night show, Kimmel said he had been asked many times what his plan was for Trump’s administration with regard to telling jokes.

“Are you going to keep this up? Are you going to continue to make fun of the most powerful man in the world? And the answer is: Yeah, of course,” Kimmel said, noting it had been difficult to find things to joke about former president Barack Obama.

“I’ve not had it easy; for the last eight years, I’ve been forced to make jokes about the First Lady’s vegetable garden. You think I’m not going to grab this pumpkin by the guts and shake it until the seeds pop out? You’re damn right I am,” Kimmel said. “My life would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to check Donald Trump’s Twitter every 14 minutes, but I do it for you. Because it’s my job.”

He continued, “I’ll add this: No matter which side of the aisle you’re on, even if you love Trump — even if you’re a member of the Trump family — deep down, somewhere in your soul, you know there’s something very unusual about the fact that you voted for a man who used to sell steaks at Sharper Image. There’s something strange about the fact that we have a president who body slammed Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 23. There’s something unorthodox about the fact that we elected a man who, in an effort to reach out to Mexican-Americans, tweeted a picture of himself eating a taco bowl on Cinco de Mayo. That’s not usual; that’s unusual.”

Kimmel closed his speech with a pledge to viewers. “There are two things I hold sacred when it comes to this program. No. 1, making kids cry on Halloween. And, no. 2, but a close No. 2, is poking fun at our leaders.”